The Office of Civilian Affairs aboard Starbase 11 was, as every other department could also claim to be, extremely busy fielding the many queries, complaints, and requests that flowed through the office like a never-ending river. And at the epicenter of the flow stood Lieutenant Teydra Nireth, the station’s Civilian Administrator, a PaDD resting as if permanently affixed to her left hand. As the morning had progressed, the general atmosphere of Civilian Affairs appeared to be shaping up to be one of routine.

“We just got another five complaints from freighter captains about the docking delays,” a young Ensign said as he approached Teydra.

“That’s to be expected,” the Trill said with a slightly dismissive tone, “Ops received permission to repair the loaders and delays were never going to be avoidable. Send the captains our sincere apologies and assure them that we are doing everything we can to ensure their next visit will be a more streamlined experience.”

“Got it,” the man said, hurrying back to his station. Right on his heels came another of her staff, a Lieutenant Junior Grade that had been with the office a few years and who generally knew what she could handle. Her appearance made Nireth’s stomach tighten; she only ever asked for assistance when it was something big or something that required the Command Staff to deal with personally.

“Governor Wakefield just boarded the station via transporter room six…” the young woman reported with an extremely apologetic face.

Teydra threw her head back and squeezed her eyes shut in a momentary fit of displeasure over the news before letting out a sharp huff and looking back down at the younger woman, “Tell whoever is escorting her to take the long way up to Ops. Have them take her to the busiest turbolift cluster on the station… walk her through the entire Promenade first… whatever it takes to give me at least a ten-minute window to brief our new Commander.”

“Got it,” the Lieutenant nodded before hustling back to her own station to pass the word. Nireth wasted no time herself, leaving the busy Civilian Affairs office to access the turbolift cluster that was designated for station personnel use only in a bid to make it to Commander Novak before Governor Wakefield managed to strongarm whatever poor junior officer had been tasked with being her escort.

Teydra spent the entire lift ride going over every possible scenario that could have brought the Governor up from the planet, starting with the most obvious excuse of simply stopping by. In the years she had been on the station, and Wakefield had taken office as the planetary governor, Morgan had used that excuse more than half the times she had popped aboard unannounced. Less than a quarter of her visits had been for legitimate reasons, and the other quarter were for purposes so contrived that Teydra doubted even Wakefield believed them when they’d been spoken aloud.

Finally reaching the Command level, Nireth hurried into Station Operations to see if the new Commander was inside before trying to catch her in the office. The broad doors of the Operations Center slid open and Teydra found the same level of energy that her office had being reflected in all of the various sections in Ops. Standing in the center of the throng was the station’s Executive Officer, with the Ops Chief standing on the other side of the large central display console.

“Gentlemen,” Nireth nodded respectfully to the two men as she approached with hurried steps.

Commander Vernon Reid’s eyes narrowed as he saw the Trill moving with fiery purpose toward them, “Is there a situation?”

“Perceptive as always,” Teydra said with a tired little smile, “Our dear Governor has decided to pay us a visit…”

Vernon shot Lieutenant Commander Jakrin Holv a quick and accusatory glare, “You didn’t think to… you know… delay that notification a day or two?”

“I thought I did…” Jakrin said with a confused look.

“Doesn’t matter,” Nireth said bluntly, “She’s here now and I doubt her escort is going to have enough time or patience to keep her occupied for more than a few minutes. Where’s the Commander?”

“Good point,” Reid said with a nod, “She’s in her office. Let’s go break the bad news…”

Teydra let out a short laugh, “You don’t have to come with me, Commander.”

“I think I should. Call it a hunch… but I get the feeling those two will get along about as well as matter and anti-matter in an open room,” Vernon sighed.

“Lovely…” Teydra grumbled as she followed the XO toward the back of Station Ops.

As familiar a walk as it was, there was something oddly new about the experience. Gone were the days of the ornate doors being wide open, allowing traffic to breeze in and out. The kaleidoscopic entry was now shut tight, as if to represent more than a simple physical barrier to all those passing by.

“I take it she doesn’t have an open-door policy,” Nireth commented dryly as they waited for a reply from the chime that Reid had sent via the door’s key pad.

“Couldn’t say for sure, it is her first day and all. I’d probably keep my own office door closed if I were in her shoes. There’s a lot to take in, especially when you don’t get a formal pass down,” Vernon offered.

The soft swish of the door opening preempted any reply that might have been forthcoming from Teydra, as the matter she was bring forward was ultimately the most important thing they had to worry about. Reid walked in ahead of Nireth and launched into a hasty introduction.

“Sorry to interrupt you, Commander, but we’ve just had a dignitary take it upon themselves to come aboard with no warning and no read ahead. Lieutenant Nireth is here to try and prep you as best she can for Governor Wakefield’s usual brand of frontier politics,” Vernon said wearing a look that sat halfway between apology and resignation.

Commander Novak’s eyes shifted from her XO to the Trill she had yet to meet, “I take it from Mister Reid’s introduction that this is not an unusual occurrence, even if it is completely unprofessional?”

“Governor Wakefield will likely have six excuses lined up as to why she dropped in, four of them flat out lies and two of them just plausible enough that we couldn’t fact check them before she’s back on the surface and it doesn’t matter anymore,” Teydra admitted with an unamused tone.

“A true politician…” Mira muttered in displeasure, “So what do you suspect is the reason for this social call… if it can even be labeled as such.”

“Likely that is the surface level purpose,” Nireth said with a curt nod, “But the Governor is known for worming a few agendas into an otherwise strictly social situation. Lately the big push has been for the station to absorb more of the immigration mission from their people. They just want to handle the financial aspects of inter-Federation trade, a move toward ‘enhanced partnerships and efficiency in the sector’.”

“And is that a mission we could absorb, even if it doesn’t seem to be something we should absorb?” Novak asked with a subtle frown.

“Given the volume we deal with in my department already…” Teydra said with a pause, “If you gave us the office space they already occupy for just such a purpose now, plus you allocate fifteen more bodies minimum, it’s entirely possible to take it over after a few months of training and degraded services.”

Mira crunched the numbers in her head for a moment before the frown she’d been trying to suppress asserted itself fully, “Nothing about that seems feasible. Space allocations on the station aside, our turnover and replenishment rates are on the high-end and low-end, respectively. If the matter comes up, I will find a way to shoot it down. Are there any other concerns that the Governor might bring up I should be aware of?”

“Don’t forget about ‘Foundation Day’,” Reid piped up from just slightly behind Nireth.

“Right…” Teydra groaned, “’Foundation Day’ is coming up next month. As part of the local traditions I’m sure Commander Reid has undersold to you so far, Starbase 11 is an integral feature of the ‘Foundation Day’ celebration. Your predecessor was a staunch avoider of these ceremonial events, and it has become something of a sore spot for the locals as of late. They are… adamant… in their opinion that your assumption of command should bring with it a renewed sense of local pride.”

“Pageantry… how lovely…” Novak nearly spat out the words before shooting her XO a look, “Mister Reid certainly did undersell the love of tradition in this system. I will reserve judgment on that until I have more details. If you need to relay anything before I make a final decision, advise those who are interested that I am taking their request under advisement.”

“I’ll pass that along, Commander. It will at least pacify the planning committee for this week’s meeting, if nothing else,” the Trill responded with a single nod of her head.

A flurry of movement caught Mira’s eyes, and that deliberate shift in her attention caused the two other officers in the room to turn toward the opaque wall to find the Governor walking along the corridor. The way she appeared to be speaking and gesticulating suggested that she wasn’t impressed by the doorway that had always been open during Novak’s predecessor’s tenure now being closed. The young officer serving as her guide and the one who had been forced to stall her seemed completely beaten down, at least emotionally, from his effort. He reached out to the door chime, as if it were a beacon of hope that would bring an end to his misery.

The chime sounded through the room, which brought the eyes of the two standing officers back to their Commander, who simply waited and watched what was transpiring beyond the door with narrowed eyes. She let the silence linger long enough for the Governor to motion toward the door and cajole the Ensign to ring the chime again.

“Are you… making her wait?” Reid asked with a mixture of shock and respect.

“She came unannounced,” Mira responded without so much as a twitch in her posture, “We were conducting business. And when I am sufficiently prepared to receive an unannounced guest, I will do so. Do you object, Mister Reid?”

“Nope,” the man replied crisply, doing his level best to wipe the satisfied smirk off his face before the door actually did open. Teydra snorted in a flash of laughter that she immediately stifled by clamping her hand over her mouth. And Commander Novak just sat at her desk until the two had managed to regain their composure before finally liberating the young Ensign from his torment.

“Enter,” Mira said in a voice that made clear that the visitor was a disruption to the order of the day. When the Governor stepped in, she’d managed to smooth out the sour look she’d had as only a practiced politician could. Governor Wakefield glided through the room as if it were some extension of her own domain, only to find that the woman occupying the desk at the rear of the room remained comfortably seated, making no move to stand in her presence or offer any ceremonial pleasantries.

“Good morning, Commander…” the Governor said in a velvety smooth voice only to pause dramatically.

Rather than introduce herself, Novak said, “Good morning, Governor. I wasn’t aware of any issues that demanded a personal visit… is everything alright?”

“Oh yes,” Morgan nodded with only a slight reduction in her smile, “Everything is running as smoothly as it always has. It’s just that, when I was informed that we had a new station commander, I felt that introductions simply couldn’t be put off for something as tedious as comparing schedules. With Starbase 11 being such a prominent fixture in our lives, I wanted to show you our deepest sincerity by coming to you, rather than trying to pull you away from what is likely a busy time for you as you settle in.”

“I appreciate your consideration, Governor,” Mira said without a sliver of warmth, “I am, as you said, rather busy getting acclimated to my new position. That is not to say, however, that I would not have made efforts to accommodate a meeting with you had you asked for it. As Commander Reid has already made it clear, the tradition of cooperation and consideration between the station and the colony is a cornerstone of life here in the system.”

“You are absolutely correct to point that out. And I must thank Commander Reid for his masterful foresight in relaying that to you. Which brings me to a topic which has been on the minds of many of my constituents as of late…” Wakefield remarked, only to be preempted.

“’Foundation Day’,” Novak said coolly, “We were just discussing that. It would seem that my predecessor had a long-standing policy of non-interference in your festivities. And if I recall correctly, many in the community have taken umbrage with this policy.”

“My, you are well informed for it being your first day,” Morgan said in a tone that was both impressed and somehow condescending in one fell swoop, “Which is precisely why I’d hoped to discuss a reinvigoration of the station’s participation in our time-honored celebration event. I would so love to be able to show my grandchildren a ‘Foundation Day’ celebration the likes of which I was a part of when I was their ages.”

Mira allowed herself the indulgence of her face curling into a calculating smile, “It is so endearing to hear that you are seeking to share fond memories with your family even while navigating the political landscape, Governor.”

The smile that Novak had allowed to form was banished in an instant, replaced by the cold indifference she’d worn throughout the rest of their conversation, “I will need to review the scope of the request for our participation and make a decision based on practicality and actionability. I would much rather that we provide… if we are able to… a product worthy of inclusion in the ‘Foundation Day’ festivities. I would not feel right about some half-hearted performance based solely on ‘showing up’. I have no doubt you could agree with such a pragmatic and considered approach.”

A glimmer of frustration flashed on Wakefield’s face, so quickly replaced with an affable smile that one might think they’d imagined it, “We could not ask for anything more, Commander. If you are already considering how to contribute to our event in a meaningful way, that is already head and shoulders above what we’ve gotten in the last few years. I couldn’t be more delighted to hear that you will be giving it the care and attention it deserves.”

“Was there anything else, Madam Governor? As delightful as this exchange has been, we were in the middle of tackling important station business prior to your arrival and I am eager to get back to the tasks laid out before me. I’m sure you understand,” Mira remarked with a smile that spoke of her depletion of patience with her guest.

“Oh my, yes, I do seem to have lingered a bit longer than I’d meant to. But it was a pleasure meeting you, Commander. I do so look forward to seeing you again in the very near future,” the Governor said with a polite smile before sashaying out of the room as if she’d come out at the top of the heap.

Silence dominated the room until the doors to the office clacked shut. The first person to move after it was assured that they were again isolated from the rest of the station was Vernon, who collapsed backward into the chair behind him so dramatically it could have been part of a circus act.

“Oh… my… goodness…” Teydra breathed in absolute shock at the exchange she’d been a silent witness to. In her entire career, she’d never seen a station commander railroad the Governor and sideline her entire agenda, sending her packing almost empty-handed.

“Is something the matter?” Novak asked flatly from her chair, having never once moved from it.

“Have you been working with politicians your entire career?” Reid asked, still looking every bit gob smacked.

Mira frowned as if she’d just bitten something unconscionably bitter, “I consider it a blessing that I haven’t had to until today… And am already rethinking my acceptance of this assignment…”

Teydra allowed herself a smirk, “I think she’d absolutely love it if you were to transfer somewhere else right about now.”

“And that alone makes my coming here worthwhile,” Novak said in a rare display of overt humor.